BREAKING: San Jacinto City Councilmember arrested, booked on multiple charges
SAN JACINTO, Calif. — Although very few details have been released, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department today confirmed to RCNS that San Jacinto City Councilmember Joel De Anda Lopez, 35, was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station and Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Online jail records and other sources indicate Lopez was arrested on June 10th at his San Jacinto residence on Avenida Rosa Mundi. He was released within hours of his arrest, after posting $100,000 bail.
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As details of Lopez’ arrest began to emerge, RCNS reached out to the Sheriff’s Department for further information regarding the investigation that led to his arrest. This morning, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Deanna Pecoraro of the Sheriff’s Media Information Bureau confirmed that Lopez was arrested last Thursday afternoon.
Although Pecoraro declined to discuss the ongoing investigation against Lopez, she said his arrest was the result of a warrant issued by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and that deputies assigned to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station effected the arrest.
SEE RELATED UPDATE: Unsealed indictment details charges against San Jacinto City Councilmember, other man
Online jail records show Lopez was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of maintaining a place for the sales of controlled substances and criminal conspiracy, both felonies. He was also booked on charges of operating a business without a permit and failing to file sales tax returns, both misdemeanors.
The business in question is reportedly an illegal marijuana dispensary that Lopez owned and operated while holding his seat as a City Councilmember. The location has reportedly been raided several times, sources say.
Pecoraro referred all further questions to the DA’s Office, saying they are now the lead investigating agency into the case against Lopez. Contacted for further information, the DA’s Office was not immediately available for comment.
Lopez remains out of custody on bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on his charges at an unspecified court on Oct. 19th.
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This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
How sad for the people of San Jacinto.
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